Container Cranes and Rigging

Port of New York and New Jersey home to some of world’s largest container cranes...

As part of a major expansion of the Port of New York and New Jersey, three massive shipping cranes have been erected at the Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) on Newark Bay.  The cranes, classified as super-post-Panamax, among the largest container cranes in the world, will allow the port to accept larger cargo ships that will begin shipping directly from Asia to the East Coast once the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2015.

The cranes, shipped by manufacturer ZMPC from Shanghai aboard a specially-designed freighter, arrived in New Jersey in May 2014.  They stand 561 feet tall and, with their longer arms, are capable of rigging higher stacks of containers, and can extend farther to unload big ships that are 22 containers wide.  Previous PNCT cranes were capable of rigging a maximum of 18 rows of containers.

The $500 million PNCT expansion is part of a larger effort that includes dredging of channels in New York Harbor as well as a $1.3 billion project to raise the height of the Bayonne Bridge to allow larger ships to reach terminals in Newark and Elizabeth.

Container cranes are generally classified by their lifting capacity and size of the ships they can unload.  “Panamax” refers to cranes rigging ships capable of passing through the Panama Canal prior to its expansion.  Post-Panamax cranes can load and unload ships that are too wide to pass through the Panama Canal up to 18 containers wide.  Super-Post-Panamax cranes can rig containers from ships 22 or more containers wide.  The Panama Canal will be wide enough to accommodate most container ships once the current expansion project is completed.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

Demolition, wrecking and razing, rigging, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business / SDVOSB, salvage, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and machinery moving, building demolition, riggers, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, interior demolition, investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services
1 Globe Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Phone: 732-222-3553
Fax: 732-450-0311
Web: http://www.rbaker.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Demolition.Rigging

Selective Demolition and Preserving History

R. Baker & Son has been involved with a number of high-profile New York City landmark projects, and whenever we work on historic buildings, there are multiple layers of challenges.  Most old structures have undergone numerous renovations, repairs, and other projects over many years, so you never know what you’re in for when a project begins. A recent project had numerous surprises in store. 

When demolition began, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work was exposed that required upgrading, such as knob-and-tube wiring from the early 20th century. Some of the wiring was run in old gas lines piped to gas lighting fixtures.  There were also corroded and leaking galvanized water lines that needed to be replaced with copper or PVC.  Shoddy, patch-up water leak repairs over the many years needed to be removed and repaired properly.  There were also issues with the building settling, so action needed to be taken to bring the structure back to plumb and level.  Asbestos found on old boiler and steam pipe fittings required removal and remediation.

The most interesting part of the project was identifying, preserving, and restoring irreplaceable historic objects wherever possible. Old gas chandeliers, sconces, and light fixtures, some Tiffany, were removed for reconditioning, electrical wiring, and reinstallation.  Stained glass windows were reconditioned, and a dumbwaiter that had not worked in many years was repaired and made operational.  Even copper gutters and leaders were restored where possible, as well as the building’s original brass pipe-and-horn intercom system.  Intricate woodwork in the building required careful preservation.  Original ornamental woodwork and bannisters were reconditioned, most of it in-place, and oak paneling was sealed off and protected.  A humidifier was brought in to keep the wood at the proper humidity during demolition and renovation.  Oak, cherry, and walnut doors and brass hardware was sent out for reconditioning.  Old black-and-white photographs were used to restore interior spaces and the exterior to the original design wherever possible.  The end result was a beautifully-restored NYC building.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

Demolition, wrecking and razing, rigging, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business / SDVOSB, salvage, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and machinery moving, building demolition, riggers, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, interior demolition, investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services
1 Globe Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Phone: 732-222-3553
Fax: 732-450-0311
Web: http://www.rbaker.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Demolition.Rigging